Stephen King published Salem’s Lot in 1975 after the success of his 1974 debut, Carrie. Adapted into a three-hour two-part mini-series of the same name followed in 1979 that was directed by the legendary Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974, Poltergeist 1982), next was a 2004 mini-series directed by Mikael Salomon (Band of Brothers series, Rome series). Twenty years after the last attempt to re-create King’s novel, on October 3, 2024, Max released a theatrical feature of Salem’s Lot via New Line Cinema.
The first ever feature film version of Salem’s Lot was written and directed by Gary Dauberman and stars Lewis Pullman, the son of Actor Bill Pullman, Makenzie Leigh (Gotham series, The Assistant 2019), Alfre Woodard (Scrooged 1988, Annabelle 2014), John Benjamin Hickey (The Bone Collector 1997, Manhattan series), Bill Camp (12 Years of Slavery 2012, The Queen’s Gambit 2020), Jordan Preston Carter (The Haves and the Have Nots series, DMZ series), Nicholas Crovetti (Goodnight Mommy 2022, Oracle 2023), Spencer Treat (Animal Kingdom series, Gladiator II 2024), William Sadler (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight 1995, Bill &Ted Face the Music 2020), Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones series, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 2023), Alexander Ward (Teen Wolf series, Westworld series), Debra Christofferson (9-1-1 series, Carnivale series), Cade Woodward (A Quiet Place 2018, Hawkeye series), Joseph Marrella (American Fiction 2023), and Derek Mears (Friday the 13th 2009, Swamp Thing series)
The new story follows an author who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that a bloodthirsty vampire is attacking the townspeople.
Did we really need another Stephen King adaption from part of the crew that made Pennywise unscary? Not really. Did we need another adaption twenty years after the last miniseries’ take? No. So, why go back to the same vein? Hasn’t it been bled dry?
It is said that Gary Dauberman wanted to stay faithful to the book, setting the film in 1975 when the book dropped. His first cut was around three hours, but he had to trim it down to one hundred and thirteen minutes because of studio tampering.
So, what are the differences between the book and the movie? First, character development is condensed or changed altogether from the book, like Ben’s backstory, and the pacing in the book has more mystery and suspense. In contrast, the movie clips and adds more action with 2024 sensibilities instead of the slow burn the ’70s films had. In the movie, we don’t get to learn the Lot’s history, making it its own character. Anne’s role changes drastically from the book, but not for the good.
Conversely, Doctor Jimmy Cody is pivotal in the book but is almost reduced to a side character in the movie, as well as going through a gender swap, now played by Alfre Woodard. Danny Glick’s death changed from the tragic one in the book to one that reeks of 2024 sensibilities. Danny’s brother, Ralphie’s fate in the book is left ambiguous, implying Straker sacrificed him at the gates of Harmony Hill Cemetery. In contrast, the movie doesn’t even imply anything, leaving us with nothing. Susan Norton’s fate in the book where she’s left to the vampires from the movie where there is a character swap in the third act. Finally, the ending has a locale change, and the book’s and movie’s epilogues are totally different.
Salem’s Lot 2024’s aesthetic looks authentic regarding clothes, cars, and such. However, unlike this year’s Late Night with the Devil, which was also set in the 1970s and shot to look as such, Salem’s Lot looks like it was shot in modern times. Small details make a difference, especially when a better movie is shot to look like the decade it is set in.
Salem’s Lot fared well at the box office in the UK since Max cannot be seen here due to existing agreements inked between Warner Bros. and Sky (“the exclusive distributor of most HBO content” in the UK) that do not expire until late 2025. Overall, 2024’s Salem’s Lot is good for a one-off. Therefore, Cryptic Rock gives it 3 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment